Suction cleaner



Aprll 12 1927' H. E. HOVER SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. l. 1922 2Sheets-Sheet April 12, 1927.

H. E. HOOVER SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. l. l9 22 2 Shets-Sheet 2Invenl'or' Howard' Earl Hoover Patented Apr. i 1 2, 1927.

` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD EARL HOOVER, OF GLENCOE, ILLINOIS,

ASISIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO THE HOOVER COMPANY, OF NORTH CANTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

' SUCTION CLEANER. H Application led November 1, 1922. Serial No.598,251.

My invention relates in general to suctioncleaners and in pai-titular tothat type vof cleaners illustrated and disclosed in Letters `Patent No.1,147,307, granted to Francis M. Case, and reissued as N o. 14,383,October 23, 1917. .Y

ln suction-cleaners, and particularly in the type mentioned above, wherethe suctionnozzle is situated at a substantial distance from the floor,the floor covering is raised to the nozzle and heldA atmosphericpressure, the pressure within .the nozzle being reduced by any suitablemeans, for example. a centrifugal fan or air-pump. Floor coverings,under such conditions, assume a wave-like formation beneath the cleanernozzle and this wave, has a crest which conforms to the shape of thecleanernozzle and travels along the floor covering with the cleaner asit is moved along.

This wave like formation, for the sake of convenience, will be termedthe primary waveof the carpet, and is due to the combined etl'ect. ofthe vacuumand the raised position ot' the nozzle mouth above the carpetand above the floor.

In order to dislodge the dirt, especially that which is imbeddedtherein, from the thus raised floor covering suspended acrossthenozzle-mouth, means for striking the same and giving it a downwardmotion are employed. lVhen the carpet is struck the dirt, on account ofits inertia, remains approximately stationary, while the carpet isdriven away from its original position. The vacuum returns the carpet toits old position and the air current picks up the loose and dislodgeddirt and carries it to the dustJ collecting receptacle. I havediscovered that the best time to strike or beat the carpet is at thatpoint of its upward travel when the carpet is returning with the maximumvelocity. At this time, forced reversal of the motion by the beatingblow developes the maximum inertia ofthe dust and has the greatestloosening eect. This latter point is very close to the most upwardposition of the Hoor-covering. Y

Prior to my invention, itLhas been customary to employ a beating agentin the form of a rotating body upon which one or more helical rows ofbeating-elements are mount.- ed. These elements are usually in the formthereagainst byof a continuous row or series of bunches of bristlesarranged in a helical line around the rotating body. With this type-ofbeater a waveilike formation, which we will term the secondary wave, isset u in the floorcovering that travels along tlie crest of the primarywave from one end of the rotor to the other, depending upon thedirection of i the helical rows oit' beating elements and representingthe movement of the carpet as beating blows succeed each other, movingthe carpet against or in opposition to its primary deflection. Onaccount of these two motions the carpet is flexed .in two directions,first, upward by 4the vacuum, and then downward, by the series ofbeating blows one after the other, which causes the free ends of thecarpet pile t0 spread out fan-like and allow the imbedded dirt at thebase of the carpet to escape, partly under the influence-of inertia andpartly due to the friction of the air-current between the separatedthreads of the carpet. In the usual type of beating-rotor where theelements strike the carpet consecutively in their order from one end ofthe row to the other, the carpet pushed away by a blow of v one elementdoes not alwayshavetime to return to the most favorable position toreceive a blow from the next element, with the result that the maximuminertia of the dust is not developed, because instead of most violentlyreversing the motion of the carpet it is more or less directly pusheddown in the manner of a screw-conveyor instead of by a series ofpositive blows delivered at the most effective time for most speedyreversal ofmotion or most rapid acceleratlon away from the dust.. Whenusing a beater of the rotary type, the number of blows struck the carpetduring a unit of time I have called the periodicity of the beater, andthe order in which the individual elements along the rotor strike, Ihave termed the sequence of the same. The periodicity and sequenceindirectly fix the time interval between successive blows, the distance'along the carpet between the points 100 of contact, and thus theposition of the carpet when successive blows are struck.

Periodicity, where the rotor provides a fixed number of blows perrevolution, is a function of the motor-speed and the ratio ofvdiameterof the rotor and rotor-pulleys.

With a iven motor speed and pulley ratio the perlodicity can be adpistedby the grouping of the elements, for example, by having two or moreelements srike the carpet simultaneously. Sequence is fixed by theangles: between successive'y contactlng beater arms.

It has been found by experiment that thc best periodicity and sequencefor one carpet may not be the best for another and that it variesaccording to the physical characteristics of the carpet. such as theweight, thickness, and so forth and with the character of the dirtimbedded in it.

In every case the vacuum as the returning force may be a factor in theselectlon of the best periodicity and sequence because there is noadvantage in striking the carpet until it has returned to the mostfavorable position, as referred to above. It is desirable that thegreatest number of blows be struck consistent with complete return ofthe car et to the best position for the next blow o any one beater.

It will, therefore, be seen that wlth a suction-cleaner having a fixedmotor speed, pulley ratio, and vacuum, they periodicity and sequencebest adapted for a g1ven carpet having a given kind of dirt therein 1smost conveniently secured by varying the arrangement of the beatingelements onthe rotor. v

As stated above, it has been customary heretofore, to use as beatingelements` bunches of bristles, which perform the function of bothbeating and sweeping the Hoorcovering acted upon and in order to securea proper beating eflect, the bristles must b'c made stiffer than isnecessary or desirable for efficient sweeping. 'In other words, where asingle means is employed to both beatl and sweep the floor-coverings, asacritice 1n both beating and sweeping efficiency must be made in orderto secure both functions in a single unit, and where means designedexclusively for beating are emp'oyed, the machine can have but littlesweeping action, which is essential in removing lint and other forms ofsurface litter.

With the above` in view, one object of my invention is to provide abeating-rotor, the periodicity and se uence of which can be adjusted toany particular kind of carpet and for any kind of dirt lodged therein.

A further object is to provide a suctioncleaner with a beating-elementadapted to strike the carpet or object to be cleaned at the mostfavorable moment and in the most effective manner for good cleaning.

A .still further object is to provide a suction-cleaner of the typedescribed with means whereby it may both beat 4and sweep afloor-covering in the most efficient manner.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the novelconstruction Practical forms in which my inventionl may be embodied areshown in the accompanying drawings in which like reference charactersrefer to like parts throughout the views thereof.

LIn these drawingsy Figure 1 is a. longitudinal sectional View of a'suction-cleaner made in accordance with my invention, showing certainparts thereof in elevation;

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of the beating and sweeping rotor madein accordance with my invention;

Figure 2^ end elevation of F igure 2;

Figures 3, 4, and 5 are each views in elevation of modified forms ofbeating rotors;

Figures`6, 7, and 8 illustrate in detail a modified form-of beatingelement; and

Figures 9 and 10 are detail views of a modified form of beating element.

I have incorporated my invention in a suction-cleaner formed of analuminum casting 10 to which is pivotally secured a handle 11. In thiscasting 10 is formed a fanchamber 12 having an outlet 13 adapted toreceive a dust-collecting bag, and an inletopening 14 which connectswith a suctionchamber 15 extending through the frontof the casting andformed with a downwardlyfgcing suction-mouth 16 provided with lips 1 Onthe casting 10 is mounted an electricmotor 18 the shaft 19 ofwhichcarries the fan-rotor 20 and the pulley 21, the latter beingpositioned in the rear of the suctionchamber. The rear of the casting issupported by means of the vertically-adjustable wheels 22 and the frontby means of rotatably mounted carrier-wheels 23 positioned one at eachjside of the casting and to the rear of the suction-mouth in such amanner as not to prevent the object being cleaned from being raisedfreely to the suctionmouth.

of the blows struck the Hoor-covering may` be varied as desired, I have,in the emvbodimentof, my invention illustrated by 27l with a pluralityof adjustable beating 13 Figures 1 and 2 provided the rotor-bod ment, asshown in these figures,

elements, the details of which are illustrated in Figures 9 and 10.'Each beating elecomprlses a block provided in one face with a socket 31adapted to receive a. bunch of bristles 32 which are secured therein bymeans of a. pin 33. In order to cla-mp the block 30 to the rotor-body 27in any desired position, I have provided a clampstrap 34 made ofresilient material which is vbent into a U-shape-so as to encirclepartially the rotor-body, and have its ends 35 and 36 lying alongtheside faces of the block at a slight angle thereto so as 'to allow itto clamp the rotor-body when the ends are drawn toward each other bymeans ot a screw 37. The end 36 of the clamp is bent back as at 38 andboth parts are provided with registering screw-threaded apertures 3!)receiving the screw 37. 0n ,account of the resiliency of the materialused in the clamping-strap the bent back portion 38 acts as a lock-nutt'or the screw. Each adjustable member, at a p'oint opposite the bristletufts. is provided with va beating-member comprising a` smooth roundedcontacting surface shown as a sphere 40 mounted on a rigid rod 41 whichis provided with a reduced-portion 42 adapted to be upset in an aperture43 in the clamping-Strap 34. .With this construction, I am able not onlyto secure a rotor that is in correct kinetic balance by properlydistributing the masses around the center of gravity in any `givenplane, but am also able to secure an adjustable member for the rotorwhich is composed of one member designed exclusively for beating andanother member designed primarily for sweepmg.

In, order to insure a positive blow upon the object being cleaned and toallow it to return to the most favorable position before the nextsucceeding blow is struck, I have arranged the adjustable elements,asshown in Figures l and 2 in groups of three, placed in a line runningaxially of the rotorbrush. These groups of adjustable elements in turnhave been equally spaced circum` ferentially and axially so that theystrike the object beine' cleaned in the order designated by numera s 1,2- 3, 4, 5, and 6, Figure 2.

uch an arrangement may be regarded as consisting of two helical rows ofgroups of adjustable elements. It is to be understood that I have shownthe adjustable'elements in groups of three for the sakel of illustratingmy invention onl and that the number in each group and t e positioningof each group may be varied as desired. With this construction, I amable to strike a more positive blow on the crest of the primary wavesthan would be the case if each v,bristle bunch or heating member was setata dif ferent angle, because in this latter case each terrals betweenblows struck lat 'adjacent points of the carpet will-be greater and thereturn more complete as beating members l are arranged in larger groups.

In Figure 3 I Ahave illustrated a 'modification in which thebeating-members and the si'eepinf-members are secured nonadjusta ilybrushing member 45' consists of 'a series ot-bunchos of soft bristlesarranged about tll\r(it i|lio ly in a single helical row eX- tendingsubstantially from one endof it to the other and making a complete turncircumterentially about the rotor-body The beating-member 46 consists ofspherical heads mounted upon rigid rods 47 which `are mounted upon therotor-body in a manner identical wlth that of the brushing-member.except that a beating-member is arranged diametrically opposite eachsweeping-niemher.

In- Figure 4 I have illustrated a form of beating and sweeping rotor inwhich both the beating and sweeping is performed by a series of bunchesof bristles 48. These bunches of bristles I have arranged in groups ofthree placed in a line running axially of the rotor-body. These groupsof bristle bunches in turn have been equally spaced circumferentiallyand axially so that they strike the object being cleaned consecutively1n order -from one end of therotor to the a series of l other. ComparingFigures 2 and 4 it will l bev noted in so far as the action of thebristle bunches alone is considered, that the periodicity of the tworotors is the same, but that the sequence is different, the rotor shownin Figure 2 being adapted to strike successive blows with the same timeinterval between them but at greater distances apart on the carpet, andthis'allows more time for the carpet or object being cleaned to returnwithout reducing the number of blows per minute.

In Figure 5 I have illustrated a rotor-body provided with elementsdesigned exclusively for beating and with elements designed exclusivelyfor the sweeping of the-object being cleaned. These elements have beenarranged in axially-aligned groups, and the groups in turn arranged in ahelical row about the rotor-body. Each group of elements comprises aplurality of sweeping-members 49 together with one beating-member '50and the beating-member isfso arranged with respect tothe sweeping-memberof its own 'parv forms a part of the next adjacent group of form ofadjustable elements wherein the block 51 receiving the tufts of bristles52 has secured to it by means of rivets v53, one end of a resilientstrap 54 which eneircles the rotor-body. The other end 55 of the'resilient strap lies along the side-face of the block 51 and is providedwith an aperture 56 through which extends a. screw 57 having engagementwith thc block- 51 and by means.-

of which the strap 54 is cla'mpedto-the.lTQtorbody. As previouslydescribed in connection with Figures 9 and 10, each adjustable member,at a point opposite'the bristle tufts, isprovided with a beating-membercomprising a spherical head 58 mounted on a rigidrod 59 which is'secured through the clamping-strap 54.

Machines of the character described have a Wide open mouth and areprovided With guard fingers 60 extending across the mouth to limit theextent to which the ioor covering is raised from'the floor to prevent itbeing llravvn too far into the suction mouth Where it would have theundesirable effect of preventing eiiicient beatin action.

The guard fingers urther determine the shape that the object beingcleaned will assume under the action 'of the suction and, as shown, areall made of thesame shape so that the action of the beating elementswill be .uniform from one end of the suction mouth to the other.

Those skilled in this art will readily understand that the invention isnot limited and restricted to the precise and exact embodiment of thesame depicted in the drawings and described in detail above, butthatthe' invention is susceptible of a variety of through and movablysuspending the fabric to be cleaned thereahand means for beating thefabric to be cleaned so as to impart a .vibratory or tiuttering motionthereto the beating means comprising a rotating shaft, adjustable,beating members on said shaft, whereby the periodicity and sequence ofsaid beating means may be varied and separate means forbrushing thesurface of the fabric to be cleaned. said beating and brushing meansmounted on the same rotating body.

2. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing provided with aSuction mouth and means for supporting said casing with the plane of thesuction mouth a substantial distance above the surface of the object tobe cleaned, a series of guard fingers carried by said casing andextending across said suction mouth, and means for suspending saidobject to be cleaned against said guard fingers and for moving a currentof air past said object and thru said casing, a rotor mounted in thecasing, rigid beating elements having orbits of travel extending beyondthe surface defined by the guard fingers fixed to the rotor andextending substantially from end to end thereof and brush memberssecured to the rotor.

Signed at Chicago, in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois, this26th day of Oc' tober A. D. 1922.

HOWARD EARL HOOVER.

